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The Marvel Cinematic Universe has grown into a behemoth force in the film world throughout the last decade of filmmaking. While there are no shortage of superheroic tales to follow, a few franchises have managed to stand out as fan favorites. Chief among them is James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy, which has a unique tone and motley crew of alien heroes. Gunn has directed two Guardians movies thus far, and will return to help Vol. 3 upon completing DC's The Suicide Squad. Concept art for Guardians 2 recently made its way onto the internet, including one for Ego that looks nothing like actor Kurt Russell.
Kurt Russell made his Marvel debut in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 as Peter Quill's father Ego the Living Planet. Russell gave a killer performance as the Celestial, and was a welcomed addition to the strong cast that James Gunn assembled for the franchise. But the concept art for the character doesn't feature Russell's likeness. Check it out below.
On top of giving Ego a different (more villainous) costume, the above concept art doesn't resemble Kurt Russell at all. In fact, some people in the comments have noticed its similarities with an iconic DC villain.
This concept art comes to us from the social media of artist Jerad S. Marantz, who has worked as a concept artist on a variety of Marvel blockbusters. In addition to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, he also helped to develop the visual language for other movies like Spider-Man: Far From Home, Infinity War and Endgame, Doctor Strange, and Captain America: Civil War. Marantz has a unique look into the mysterious MCU, given information in order to help render his concept art pieces.
But despite Jerad Marantz no doubt being privy to Kurt Russell's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 casting before the rest of us, the above concept art of Ego doesn't look like the iconic Hateful Eight actor. He's got much darker features and hair, and was given an edgy hair cut that is in stark juxtaposition to the character's ultimate appearance in James Gunn's sequel.
Marvel fans can re-watch Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 on Disney+. You can use this link for a free 7-day trial to the streaming service.
The concept art for Ego makes the character's true nature a bit more obvious. The shoulder pads in particular scream villain, and seemingly hint at Ego's giant mount of skeletons from Guardians 2. And as one particular commenter noted, the above costume actually resembled the appearance of Batman villain Ra's al Ghul. Do you see it?
In the end, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 gave Ego a more subtle costume. Kurt Russell started playing the character with charm and fatherly love for Star-Lord, before his insidious intentions were actually revealed. In the end he was the movie's villain, and took a turn once Peter Quill refused to go along with his plans.
It should be interesting to see where James Gunn takes the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise in Vol. 3. The movie will catch up with the group following the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, which should result in new dynamics within the group. Gunn has teased that big things are coming for Rocket Raccoon, and we'll also see how 2014 Gamora is functioning in the current timeline.
The next installment in the MCU is Black Widow on November 6th. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
